howdy

Old topic - new solution!

I had an ongoing search in ebay for liftarms for the 2000 RX300 and just got a hit on an aftermarket version!

The ebay auction number is: 230104306909, but the seller also has their own website at:

http://liftsupportsdepot.com

Looks like about $68 delivered after coupon (save10) and with shipping for a pair!

I just spoke with the owner of the business. He had them specially made by a manufacturer called "Piston". I guess he sent them some OEM arms and Piston made some aftermarkets to spec!

Apparently, I am only his second customer on these. So, although he has a great return/warranty policy, he was a little concerned about me posting this note before I've had a chance to install them myself.

But, I couldn't resist, given the pent-up demand in this thread!

I'll post again when I've received them and had them installed (probably two weeks out, at the earliest.)

Eph

Wow! Great find! Please post an update after installing.

Okay, I got two bottles of ARX and I had enough remaining mileage before my next oil change to put in a bottle. Poured in 10 oz. (not the full bottle of 12 oz.) as per the directions for engine oil capacity and drove it for about 30 miles today. I'm sure it's too soon to notice anything, so, 1470 miles to go...

Based on this topic and some research, I ordered some Auto-RX last night and now it's on its way to me and soon to be in my RX. I'll update my results.

If you paln to keep this SUV for a while, I would recommed getting a Life time Wheel alignment Plan , Firestone Service sells it for about $119.00 on sale, so does Vespia's not sure how much they charge for life time.

I have always used this lifetime alignment and was really worth it for the life of the vehicle. (Two alignment checks and you get your money back)

some issues with really bad wobbling and vibration from the tires----- you need to get the tires balanced, or it might be as simple as some wheel lug nuts loose. First check if the lug nuts are tight enough, if all are ok, get the wheel balanced and alignment - you are really going to see a big difference. Then stay away from pot holes - or you be standing in line for your next alignment.

My 2000 RX pulls to on coming traffic if I let go the wheel, and my front tires seems to have lost much more thread compared to the rear, time to take it in.

:P :P

$119 is not bad... yeah, I'm at a crossroads right now of whether or not I should keep the RX. I weighing all the costs to restore the RX versus just selling it and getting something newer. But honestly, nothing newer seems to give me anything more than what I already have in the RX.

I'll check if the local Firestones have this deal around here. Thanks.

I used some liquid loctite superglue, about $5 at most stores, in the glue section. http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product...68_front200.jpg

The glue only takes a few minutes to dry and is VERY strong. Just cut out the blade in the key you buy, removing a little plastic at a time until you can see the whole top part of the blade's "T" part that's burried in plastic.

Just pull the blade "up" until it comes right out. There isn't any glue holding the blade in. Then cut out the blade in YOUR key.

Look at these diagrams i drew to see where and how much glue to add.

Good luck! I hope this saves you some $$$.

The diagram you drew up is fantastic! Thanks!

FYI you can actually remove the metal blade from the plastic shell it's attached to, which most people don't know. Take the key apart and you can see a little hump of plastic. You can cut out the plastic and pull the blade out, and superglue it in a different shell that had a different blade in it etc.

The first pic is my new rx300 key (won it from ebay for $20) with the blade that was in my old scratched up rx300 key. just popped it out of the old key and glued it in the new one. The new key had an uncut blade, but i wasn't paying to have a new blade cut when i have one already...

The second pic is what the blade looks like when it's out of it's shell.

The third pic is of the final product... well it's my rx350 key but it looks the same as the rx300, just has the medium blade, where as the rx300 has the small blade...they all work the same way.

bottom line, for $20, 2 minutes of using any type of wire cutters to cut the bade out, and a minute to glue it in a new shell, you get basically a NEW key! Just MAKE SURE the new key you get is OEM. Look at the "LOCK" engraving on the key. If that border around it has a very sharp < at the top left, then it's NOT oem. The oem keys have a more rounded border around the LOCK.

..and of course you can just pop in the old remote into the new key. The modifications with the blade wont affect it's fitting unless you're messy with the glue.

Well that's something I didn't consider. What type of glue did you use? And how long did you cure it before using it? Any problems like looseness or movement with the key in the new shell?

Thanks.

Add something else to my list of things to do to "restore" my RX300.

One of my keys has cracked - the plastic around the back and a little supportign the blade is pretty much gone and I want to get a replacement.

Has anyone had any positive experiences with any companies on the web? And would you recommend a reputable shop? I've had zero luck finding a key shop here that knows what they're talking about so I'm going out into the world wide web.

Thanks for any help.

Depending upon how you park (level garage floor, slanted driveway, etc.), a rear main oil seal leak could show up in a small variety of locations. In our case, it was approximately the middle of the engine bay but more to the drivers side of the vehicle. A dime-sized spot of oil would collect there over the course of a few days. If your vehicle is over 70,000 miles, chances are very high that your leak is in fact coming from your failing rear main oil seal. Now that you've found this thread, you know what to do from here....

Yes, I was afraid of that. I'm planning on checking the alternative repair shop here in town and get an estimate.

Potholes, curbs, rough roads, and sometimes just looking at your tires the wrong way can and do cause all vehicles to lose proper alignment. If you've never put an alignment on this vehicle before, chances are better than 90% that it is out-of-spec. Find an alignment coupon from a respectible establishment in your local newspaper and go get yourself an alignment. Be sure to ask for the printout of before and after specs so you can see just how bad your alignment problem is.

Anytime you put new tires on the vehicle, you should get an alignment done at the same time and often for a discount.

The shop that replaced the tires unfortunately doesn't do alignments... Should I be looking at 4-wheel alignment? Is there anything to consider due to the AWD?

Thanks again.

Hi everyone, I'm new to this board and been doing a little catch up with this topic.

I'm sorry if this may be a dumb question but relative to the engine bay, where is this leak occuring. The reason I ask is because I too have recently noticed small spots of oil on my garage floor. The spots look like there coming from around the middle of the engine bay area. Is the leak in my RX coming from the rear main seal like the others on this topic?

I have really enjoyed reading all the topics about the RX on this board. Thanks!

Hello to all! I'm new to this board but so far have seen alot of good information. Many thanks!

Now, I have a '99 RX AWD and recently has some issues with really bad wobbling and vibration from the tires. I have GY Integrities. I made a huge mistake in that I bought the Integrities after the first set wore out. But nevertheless, this set is around a year old and when I took the RX to Discount Tire they replaced a pair (pro-rated) saying they were pretty worn already. They suggested I rotate the tires every six months. With this new set on, the RX drives dramatically better. No real noticeable wobbling or shimmy. Nearly smooth again.

Okay, now to my question. I don't ever recall having a wheel alignment done (I bought the RX with ~45k miles on it) and the steering wheel has always seemed to be a little off but when I let go of the wheel, the RX tracks fairly straight. Do you believe I should get an alignment done? I can't believe the tires wore out in less than a year but I can't imagine what else would wear them out besides balance and alignment issues. What do you all think?

I'm due for a 105K service. I have always taken my car to the dealer for these services. However, this time I decided to look closely at what was done. Looks like oil change, differential fluid change, and tire rotation, plus the usual "inspections".

I was quoted $300 for this service (they say it takes 4 hours). A call to a foreign car specialist (non-dealer) provided the same estimate.

My question: Do folks generally have this service done at the dealer, and if not, anyone have any suggestions for alternatives to the dealer in San Antonio, TX?

Thanks much for any help you can provide.

L. J.

Hey L.J. - I'm new to this board but was surprised to see other San Antonians here! There happens to be a place in town off McCullough Avenue and Hildebrand called The Dealer Alternative. I don't recall their number off-hand, but do a Google search under "Lexus Doc San Antonio" and that will give you their number. Lexus Doc was their old business name. I have my RX300 serviced there and they seem to be pretty fair on pricing.

Hope this helps.